Chapter 100

　　Prince Augustus strode through the hallways of the Imperial Palace as the sun crested the horizon. Ignoring the bows and greetings of the staff, he adjusted his expensive suit as he walked, tugging open the collar to let it breathe.

　　He clutched a missive in his hand. A Steward delivered it to him mere minutes ago, informing him that his brother Argyle had called a meeting with all the siblings. Generally, he would ignore such a note, but a sense of urgency in how it was penned caused him to wait, carefully weighing the words before deciding to join the others.

　　The room set aside for their meeting was an out-of-the-way lounge customarily used for family gatherings. It hadn`t been used in years, not since Alexander was an infant. Two Stewards flanked the closed door, snapping a salute when they saw him and pushing the wide wooden doors open before shutting it behind him.

　　His two brothers and sister were already waiting.

　　Argyle stood on the far end of the room, staring out of the large windows at the grounds beyond. His back was ramrod straight, and Augustus could feel the tension and anger radiating off of him. Hands clenched behind his back, he looked like he would smash through the glass in front of him at a moment`s notice.

　　Their eldest brother was usually the most composed and calm of them all, but something had riled him up enough to call a meeting between them. What could have set him off?

　　Amara sat on a couch, her legs crossed and her head resting against her hand as she watched the entrance. As Augustus walked in, the woman nodded to him in greeting before subtly shaking her head.

　　So, Amara doesn`t know what`s going on either.` Augustus thought to himself.

　　They had always been closer than the rest. Near the same age, she supported his bid to become Emperor, although he knew that she would just as quickly throw her lot behind Argyle if fortunes favoured him more.

　　He thought nothing of it. Politics wasn`t personal, after all.

　　The last of the Royal scions of the Emperor was laid out on a fainting couch, a cold cloth over his forehead. Augustus could smell him immediately, a mixture of alcohol and vomit, combined with the subtle hint of old sweat.

　　Alexander was a failure in every possible way. Aside from the happenstance of being the Emperor`s son, he lacked everything that would make one successful in life. Augustus turned away from him in disgust, not wanting to be anywhere near Alexander lest his taint rub off on him.

　　"So, Argyle, you`ve called us all here, a momentous occasion in of itself. What dire news do you have to deliver to us now? Has Father found the secrets to immortality and decided to rule for another millennium?" Augustus called out, joining his sister on the couch across from the motionless Alexander.

　　Perhaps he`s finally dead. Oh, happy day!` Augustus thought of Alexander, seeing not a stir of movement from his body at the sound of his voice.

　　"This is no time for jests, Brother. I`ve just been delivered disturbing news that affects us all equally." Argyle replied, turning away from the windows and striding towards the group. Not bothering to sit, he began to pace next to them.

　　"Well, don`t leave us in suspense. Let`s have it." Amara ordered in frustration, not wanting to drag this out.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

　　"Father intends to give Baron Caledon the title of Crown Prince." Argyle hissed through clenched teeth, and Augustus swore he could hear his brother`s knuckles crack from the tension of his grip. At the statement, Amara erupted into laughter. The sound was grating and mocking.

　　"Is that it? What drivel are you spouting, Argyle." Augustus muttered, about to get up from the couch when a wadded ball of paper flew threw the air toward him, striking him in the chest and falling into his lap.

　　"Read it." Argyle growled, stopping his pacing and staring at this brother with fury in his eyes. Under that stare, Augustus reluctantly smoothed the sheet against the coffee table and began reading. With each word, his disbelief rose.

　　"Is this true?" Augustus asked, his tone breathless as he finished.

　　"It is. Taken from father`s own journal pages." Argyle confirmed.

　　"You`re spying on Father`s private writings now as well? Have you truly sunken so low?" Amara asked with contempt.

　　"Wait until you read it, sister, before judging him." Augustus replied, passing the page to her. Her eyes ran down the page, swiftly taking in the information. Unlike her brothers, she remained skeptical of its contents.

　　"This doesn`t mean anything." She dismissed, placing the sheet onto the coffee table. Augustus leapt from his chair, already roaring in anger. It seemed that Argyle`s mood had infected him as well.

　　"It means everything! But perhaps you already knew?! Is that why you allowed Marella to bring Kalen Caledon to the Ball? Are you already trying to ingratiate yourself with him!?" Augustus shouted, pointing a finger accusingly at his sister.

　　To her credit, Amara remained calm as he levelled his accusations, letting out a scoff and waving her hand to knock his finger away from her face.

　　"Of course not, fool. If you had an ounce of sense, you would know I tried everything I could to prevent their pairing. There is no significance to his relationship with Marella, nor with Father`s supposed decision to have him meet with the Envoys." Amara said dismissingly.

　　"That is not true, Sister. Meeting the Envoys is only a responsibility of the Emperor and his Heir. Father is deciding on who will follow him by declaring his intentions to introduce Kalen Caledon as the new representative of humanity." Argyle said, regaining his calm.

　　However, all could see that it was a thin layer of ice covering the raging inferno within.

　　"How are we to believe this paper is accurate? Where did you obtain it?" Amara reasoned.

　　"It was taken from Father`s private database." Argyle admitted.

　　Amara and Augustus both looked at him with admiration. They didn`t think their eldest brother would go so far as to pilfer the Emperor`s personal data centers. The risk was out of character for the cautious Argyle.

　　"Then I suspect you`ve been deceived. It is not possible for Father to leave something incriminating unencrypted. Even if you could have your hackers access the terminal." Augustus stated, and Amara laughed at the implication.

　　"You sound as if you have personal knowledge of that. Did you also go on an expedition through Father`s private documents?" Amara asked, causing Augustus to scowl.

　　"Of course, don`t act like you are so innocent. I know for a fact how far you have descended in your search for an advantage over us. Don`t throw stones in a glass house, Sister." Augustus replied.

　　"How did you bypass the decryptions?" Augustus asked with curiosity. None of the teams he had assigned to it had any success over the years.

　　"I`ve sent it out piecemeal to many different contractors, hoping that one would stumble upon the solution. One of them finally pulled through and delivered." Argyle explained.

　　"You used brute force? I`m again impressed by the risk you take." Augustus said. Rather than use a few trusted experts, his brother had cast a wide net, hoping that he could come to a solution with quantity over quality. Judging by the results in front of him, it had worked.

　　Argyle had sent the encryption to a collection of Hackers who worked on it without understanding where it had come from, and they had delivered.

　　From where he was lying on the couch, Alexander let out a groan.

　　Listening to the others, he couldn`t help but get a thrill of satisfaction at his accomplishments. He had been the one to solve his father`s encryption, years ago. He had been reading the Emperor`s personal journals and notes left on the terminal since he was a teenager until he finally found something he could use.

　　Kalen Caledon was being primed to meet with the envoys. Although Alexander suspected that didn`t mean he would become Heir, it was the perfect information to trigger his siblings into acting as he wanted.